Star still shines at destroyed San Antonio Height property

Ten years after the Grand Prix Fire took his hillside house in San Antonio Heights, Ken Petschow still has plans to rebuild.

But he’s already rebuilt a tradition.

Despite no longer having a home on the property, Petschow has continued a nearly 55-year Christmas ritual of lighting the 75-foot-high star that shines above the unincorporated community overlooking the inland valley.

Back in 2003, the fire took the star, too.

When the blaze began moving in toward Petschow’s home, even fire personnel evacuated, but he stayed to protect his house until the end.

“They would have stayed had I insisted, but they said they felt I had it pretty well under control, which I thought I did, too,” he said.

But the fire was too fierce and too fast.

“It was just so hot. The windows all broke simultaneously,” he said. “The entire house was just engulfed in a few seconds because of superheated air. There was no fire in sight.”

When Petschow knew it was over, he lighted the star and evacuated.

“I turned the star on as just kind of a last-ditch act of defiance against the fire,” he said.

A star has been a holiday staple in the community since 1958.

George Hostetler built the house as well as the star, which at the time was only 35 feet high by 35 feet wide.

Petschow inherited the tradition when he purchased the property in 1996.

Shortly after the star and Petschow’s home were lost, donations began coming in from the community. Airline pilots began pointing the star out to passengers when landing at nearby LA/Ontario International Airport.

Enough was raised to erect the star just in time for the Christmas season.